Champion's Return
by Ixlecno
Summary: A dangerous, overwhelming force reawakens in the Underground. The only hope of the Five Kingdoms is to call upon an ancient right of the Goblin King to summon the Goblin Champions.
1. Part 1: The Set Up: Prologue

This is a fanfiction for those of you out there who enjoy swords and sorcery as well as the occasional dragon and mythical lore. I'm going to show you Jareth at his strongest, at his weakest, and at his most startling along the way as Sarah tries to decide what she wants out of life and Toby decides the next greatest adventure.

Thank my beta-reader, jkulibert2 for me, would you? I owe her much.

And, as must be stated, I own none of the characters, themes, or places from Jim Henson's 1986 _The Labyrinth_.

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Part 1 The Set Up

Prologue

A 'crack!' was heard across the land. Faces turned up in fear to watch smoke billow from the mountains. Feet rumbled; hearts pounded; ears turned at every sound. A great horde of beasts were awakening, one the kingdoms hadn't seen in thousands of years.

The fiery behemoths poured through the skies. Each whisper from their lips promised death and sent forth a bought of flame that scorched the mountainside, rolled down across the plains, and torched the forests.

The earth rumbled, and the glare of fire and rising clouds of ash cast the area in darkness. A horrible screech pealed through the air, and a tiny, wingless fey with wild, brown hair cowered in the brush, covering their ears with their tiny hands. They looked upon a burning glade where towering trees blazed like rods of fire and the earth was charred black.

An ancient, grating roar sounded, and a massive head reared out of the flames followed by a long, slender neck. Then, in a rush of wind and wings, the beast took to the sky. The moment it was up, five other identical shadows swooped after, their tails lashing the air as they blinked in and out of the black clouds.

When their roars at last died and the fires smouldered out, the brownie darted from the brush and fell upon the hot ash but could no longer feel the pulses of the life beneath.

The other sprites came out of hiding alongside the brownie, descending upon the ashen fields to grieve.

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This prologue has been posted the same time as Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 1: Arrangements

Chapter 1

Arrangements

The Goblin King strutted around the throne room's stone floors, puffing, cursing, and throwing his arms in the air to the suffering of five goblins huddled in the central pit, helmets rattling as they backed into one another. Other goblins looked on, situated on every ledge, sensitive to the ire of their king and what it entailed.

"And furthermore," The Goblin King said, "If I ever catch you brainless worms trying to light a fire in the bog of Eternal Stench again, I'll make sure you never -" He halted and glanced around the room. With his head turned to the side, he appeared to be listening intently. He straightened and addressed the five goblins, "Leave! I'll deal with you lot later."

The troublemakers scrambled from the room as the Goblin King turned with a flourish, adding a dark cape to his autumnal, brown-vested ensemble. He faced the only archway just as the entrance hall doors in the adjacent room opened.

A small fey with dragonfly wings hovered into the entrance hall wearing a brown shawl and puffy, green cap. He fluttered over the goblin's heads, up to the monarch and said, "Goblin King! Goblin King! My lady sends urgent news!" The sprite clutched a purple envelope in its tiny hands.

"Well?" The Goblin King said, "Hand it over." The sprite slipped the letter into the king's waiting glove. The Goblin King gave pause to the envelope and flipped it over, scrutinizing both sides. In the top corner sat the royal seal of the Sprite Kingdom: five curved triangles touching in the center.

The Goblin King turned and strolled over to his throne. He poured himself into it and slid his finger along the edge. He tossed the remaining envelope to the nearest goblin at his feet. "Here," he said dismissively.

The Goblin King's mismatched eyes drifted over the elvish script of the letter, lit by a crystal he summoned in his opposite hand. He was vaguely aware of the messenger still hovering in the vicinity. A few words caught his attention, and he balked. For a moment, he stared incredulously at the letter as the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. He graciously stood and eyed the sprite.

"Dragons? In the Labyrinth?" The Goblin King quipped as he strolled to the nearest window, leaning his feathery head of hair out, "I see no dragons in the Labyrinth!" He spun back to the sprite who nervously fluttered towards the archway. The Goblin King huffed, "I have not received contact from the other rulers in centuries, and the only notice I receive now is some rubbish about dragons?"

The pixie said, "Please, your Majesty-"

"Save it," The Goblin King interrupted, "I never said it wasn't worth my time." He glanced to the purple envelope, in shreds on the floor, then back up to the courier. He waved his hand and dismissed the pixie. "Thank-you. Good-bye."

The Goblin King tucked the folded letter into the edge of his vest and gave it a pat. "You!" He pointed to the tallest goblin in the vicinity, "Gather others and prepare the west solar." He smirked and opened his palms. "We're having guests."

Five man-sized, arched windows lined the rounded, west wall of the solar of the Goblin Castle. None were closed to the cool, autumn air that swept in. The Goblin King occupied the middle window even though, in the center of the floor, thirteen empty chairs sat about a round table. Against the flat, east wall stood an unlit hearth between two doors. The inner walls of the solar were red wood, and the floors were sandstone with a burgundy rug beneath the table.

The Goblin King kept a careful eye on the horizon when he wasn't staring deeply into the crystals he swirled in his open palm. He took one at a time and studied them carefully, hoping to glean some information about what he was up against. One pale crystal showing the Sprite Kingdom was separated from the bunch.

The Sprite Kingdom resided in the White Forest on the edge of Galdoor's Plains. The White Forest was covered in towering white oak, beech, and stewartia trees and received its name from its colorless appearance in the winter. The Sprite Kingdom never lit up with the colorful hues of autumn quite like the other kingdoms- especially now. The Goblin King noticed black streaks, like scratches, in the earth, denoting the presence of fire-breathing wyrms.

The magical presence of the Labyrinth, which the Goblin King was innately tuned into, seemed to shiver- much as it had in the throne room before the messenger arrived. The Goblin King dismissed his crystals and reluctantly pulled away from his perch. The magical trembling intensified, as he predicted it might, and, in the next breath, a goblin steward entered the solar followed by a high fey with steel-colored hair and fine, stone-gray clothes.

"Ah, King Eremor of the Gnomes." The Goblin King sarcastically greeted the Gnome King with a handshake, "How nice to see you again." He grinned in spite of the Gnome King's closed manner.

"Much the same, Goblin King," The Gnome King replied in a lackluster tone. The goblin accompanying him slipped back into the corridor as the Gnome King situated himself at the table, but soon, another goblin came.

"And Nymph Queen, Cassora, more lovely than I remember," The Goblin King greeted the entering queen dressed in rich greens and browns with deep gold hair. He laid a kiss on the back of her hand which he replicated in equal kindness to the Queen of Hags, a radiant woman with long, red hair and a golden gown.

Last to enter was the Sprite Queen, Leyena, who wore a pale, blue gown. Her silver hair was woven with colored flora and looped over her crown. She greeted the Goblin King with a curtsey and accepted his kiss to her hand then took her seat.

The five monarchs spaced themselves as evenly as possible around the table with thirteen chairs. They chatted politely with one another until the Goblin King took his seat. Only mutterings were left as they inclined their heads in his direction.

"Nice of you to gather us on such short notice, Sprite Queen," The Goblin King dryly remarked, "I only happened to be in the middle of disciplining my subjects when your letter arrived."

The Hag Queen snarked, "Something you'll no doubt be able to do later this evening when your subjects do something _else_ wrong."

"Easy for you to say, all your subjects do is wander into my kingdom and complain!" accused the Goblin King.

"They only complain about the filth you keep lying around!" The Hag Queen snapped.

"It's not filth; it's junk!" The Goblin King argued.

The Nymph Queen cut in, "It doesn't matter what it is. It's not why we're here!"

"Yes," The Goblin King huffed and threw himself back into his chair, "Couldn't be to keep me company."

"Indeed," The Gnome King threw in as he idly scratched his chin.

The Hag Queen perked up and asked, "About the dragons, yes?" She looked expectantly to the Sprite Queen who gave a solemn nod.

"Dragons are the reason I decided to call us together," The Sprite Queen said, "Especially here."

"Oh?" The Goblin King remarked. He summoned a crystal and rolled it against the table beneath his fingertips with his opposite elbow on an armrest.

"Convenience, perhaps," The Nymph Queen offered, "as your kingdom is mostly stone and less… flammable."

"Then why not _my_ kingdom?" The Gnome King drolled, "Mine is entirely stone and built in a mountainside, much more easily defensible."

"It is difficult to fight dragons from a mountainside," The Sprite Queen argued.

"Fight them?" The Hag Queen asked, startled, "Why not scare them off?"

The Goblin King continued to roll the crystal and watched the conversation, now voluntarily uninvolved.

"Dragons aren't easily scared. In fact, not scared at all would be the proper way to put it," The Sprite Queen said, "Therefore, the Goblin Kingdom seems best suited."

The Gnome King interjected, "Not to mention, the beasts' hide is quite magic-resilient."

"However," The Goblin King remarked with a smirk, "I've never seen a horde of goblins, no matter how large, ever kill a dragon."

"Neither have I," The Sprite Queen admitted, "Which is why we won't be using goblins."

"Gnomes, then?" The Hag Queen asked, "a species more flame-resistant and… manageable?"

"Actually," The Sprite Queen said, "I was rather thinking humans."

"...Humans," The Goblin King said doubtfully, "And where are you going to acquire these humans? Need I remind you, nowadays they have next to no combat skills and are quite hard to come by in this realm?"

"Well," The Sprite Queen amended, "When I said humans, I rather meant Champions… say… Goblin Champions?"

The Goblin King's crystal disappeared, and his fist slammed against the table. "You would insult me so?" he accused.

The Gnome King interjected, "I'm sure it's not meant that way, and, as for the other point, humans were the dragon slayers of old."

"Humans haven't slain dragons for centuries," The Goblin King argued, "And the ones you suggest would be gravely _under prepared_."

"Be it so, there are ways to train them," The Sprite Queen suggested.

The room drifted to a still with the Goblin King's sight lingering around the center of the table. He shook his head and smirked.

"You'll not get the obedience you require of them," The Goblin King said with a superior sneer, "After all, they are _my_ champions."

The Hag Queen interjected, "You have the only champions to speak of."

"And like you previously said," The Sprite Queen added, "We would be hard-pressed to find others."

The Nymph Queen said, "And being as they are your champions, they'd listen to you."

The table fell silent, expecting an immediate reply from the Goblin King, but none was given. His elbows leaned on the table and with one hand, he rubbed his forehead. "No."

"No?" The Gnome King asked.

The Goblin King lifted his dark, leveled gaze to the other king and repeated, "No. They would not take kindly to my presence nor any of yours, I fear. In a manner of speaking, they are more_ the Labyrinth's_ Champions- not my own."

"But you can still summon them?" The Nymph Queen asked.

"You do not know what you ask of me," The Goblin King claimed, "Summoning champions is a right of the Goblin King that has not been enacted since before my time. Very dangerous, very draining- especially considering the circumstances. But the relation I have with my champions isn't like what the old king had with his. They see me as a danger, a threat."

"Summoning them is still within your right!" The Hag Queen exclaimed.

"They do not know that," The Goblin King countered.

"But what all the champions do know," The Sprite Queen said, "Is what it means to be a champion. Am I right? They have what it takes. The proof is in the title. Meaning they are just and of noble heart?"

The Gnome King asked, "What are you saying, Sprite Queen?"

The Goblin King answered, "She thinks they can be tricked into coming."

"I believe 'coerced' is the word," The Nymph Queen said.

"No," The Sprite Queen said, "I'm saying that they'd probably come if we just asked."

The Goblin King looked at the Sprite Queen for a silent moment then burst out laughing. He cradled his face in his right palm then his hand slid down to stifle his mouth. His eyes shifted back up and fixed the Sprite Queen with an amused expression.

"What's so amusing, Goblin King?" The Hag Queen asked.

The Goblin King finally quieted and gave way to thoughtful pondering. "Actually," he said, "It's not a bad idea. But how again are you planning to train them?"

"With your help, of course," The Sprite Queen said, "And, naturally, a contribution from the other kingdoms," she cast her gaze around the table, "Seeing as how this is to mutual benefit."

"Not to me," The Gnome King drolled.

The Hag Queen said, "Then we'll just send the dragons your way, Gnome King."

The Hag Queen and Gnome King began to banter back and forth about the Gnome Kingdom's contribution to the war effort. The Goblin King, meanwhile, drummed his fingertips on the table and pressed his mouth to his fist.

The Nymph Queen spoke beneath the banter and asked, "What is the matter, Goblin King?"

"There is one who may not heed our cause," The Goblin King replied with a thoughtful tilt of his head. His eyes roamed the table, and he summoned a crystal.

When the bantering ceased, the Hag Queen glanced around, remembering herself, and asked, "Where be the dragons now?"

"That reminds me!" The Goblin King interrupted, "How are we to keep the dragons at bay before the Champions are prepared?"

The Sprite Queen answered simply, "A dream spell, of course."

"More of _my_ magic?" The Goblin King questioned, growing tense, "How could you ask so much of me?" He pushed himself to his feet and badgered, "When it is _my_ kingdom that you suggest be under fire? Summon the champions! Cast a sleeping curse! Let's burn _your_ kingdom and not one of our own! Let's sacrifice your humans so we may live! How dare you Sprite Queen? How dare you?"

"I have already lost a countless number of my subjects, Goblin King, don't accuse me of being unjust and unfair. You know this is the best chance we have!" The Sprite Queen snapped.

"It doesn't excuse your cowardice," The Goblin King bit back, "And what if it all backfires, hm? Then what, the dragons burn down our villages and raze our lands? Have you an alternate plan?"

The Sprite Queen, still seated in the face of the standing Goblin King, pursed her lips and glared. She replied evenly, "No."

The Goblin King scowled and said, "I rather thought not. So then tell me: if I'm to train these champions _and_ halt the dragon onslaught, what is to be your contribution, Your Royal Majesty-Of-Fairness-On-High?"

The Gnome King interjected, "How many champions will there be?"

"Twelve to thirteen," The Goblin King bitterly replied then pointed out, "Hardly an army." He ignored the Sprite Queen for the moment and shifted his attention to the other two queens. He asked, "And you two? Have any bright ideas?"

The Nymph Queen said, "I am under the impression that you will have your hands full during this entire ordeal. If you would prefer, I can train the champions on magics- as my contribution."

"And I at swords," The Gnome King offered.

The Hag Queen changed the subject, "But might we know where the dragons are_ now_? How are we supposed to be expected to prepare or lure them this way if-"

The echo of a roar on the distant horizon startled the table of monarchs, and the Goblin King flew to the nearest window.

"How long did you say it would take to train the champions?" The Hag Queen asked the Goblin King from the window beside his.

The Goblin King glared at the horizon and grew chilled. Shadowed figures like bats advanced toward the Goblin Kingdom and grew steadily larger with each passing second. "I didn't," he bit out, "But I'd say thirteen fortnights under the best of circumstances, meaning, if I could hold the curse that long." The Goblin King threw his head to the side and glared at the Sprite Queen. He snapped, "Will the dream curse even work?"

The Sprite Queen hadn't risen as the other monarchs had, but upon being addressed, she turned her head to the side and watched the Goblin King from over her shoulder. "Yes."

The Goblin King turned back to the window and placed his hands upon the cold, stone sill.

"Why not slay them whilst they sleep?" The Nymph Queen asked.

"That's not how the curse works. They transport to a parallel pocket realm, if you would imagine, that I will have to strain myself to maintain. How many are there?" The Goblin King asked.

"At least a dozen," The Hag Queen offered.

The Goblin King's heart pounded at the sight of the dragon swarm. He curled his fingers into his palms and kept his eyes trained on the overwhelming force. He would have to halt them, right here in his land. And when they awoke, here they would return.

The Goblin King muttered, "I will be weak during their containment," He beat his fist upon the stone and lowered his gaze, "I won't be able to summon the champions."

"Leave that to me," The Sprite Queen said, having finally stood to stare out the castle windows.

"And the thirteenth Champion?" The Nymph Queen inquired to the Goblin King.

The Goblin King's gaze turned dark and reclusive. He summoned a crystal and raised it against the sun. He breathed, "She will come."

"What is he doing?" A voice whispered from the shadows. A hairy hand pushed to the side a protruding branch and stared with green eyes at a figure upon the battlements of the Goblin City.

"I told you he wouldn't listen ta' the other fey- look at him! Probably surrenderin'," A second voice critiqued.

There was a roar somewhere overhead, and the pair ducked. A rush of leathery wings passed over but continued on.

The dwarf rose, shaken, and heard a rustle beside him. He glanced over his shoulder. The goblin had run away. Worried, the dwarf found the figure upon the battlements again and watched with bated breath.

The Goblin King waited upon the battlements of the Goblin City, casting glances below. Goblins rushed across the stones, some ducking into their homes, but many donning armor and preparing cannons and other ranged goblin-operated missiles.

A gust of wind violently snapped the Goblin King's dark cape as the first behemoth swooped down. A deep, guttural voice boomed over the monarch, "Only fools fight battles they cannot win." A suffocating aura of fear radiated from the beast. The Goblin King felt it rattling in his bones, but, with grim determination, pushed it back.

The Goblin King grinned and opened his arms as he called to the dragon, "Then you must be a greater fool than I thought!"

The first dragon hissed and lime-colored gases were expelled from its maw. Agitated, a rumbling sounded deep in the dragon's chest, and the Goblin King flinched as a green jet of fire flared towards him. But he didn't move as an arched barrier formed between him and the dragon. In the flare of light, he cast his gaze over to the window of the west solar. There, a figure stood with glowing hands. As the dragon's breath died, so too did the barrier, and the figure's hands blinked out. The Goblin King straightened and fixed the dragon with a stare.

The parapets, barely wide enough to support its girth, shook as the beast landed facing the Goblin King. The smoke continued to drip from its fangs like a sickly, green fog that curled around the Goblin King's boots. The monarch tucked his hands behind his back and summoned a crystal to syphon the noxious fumes.

The green dragon reared his sinewy neck up and turned its head to stare down at the opposing fey monarch with a hungry, yellow eye. A tall fin ran from the dragon's nose, over its head, between its wings, and on down to its tail as black claws scraped the stone. The wings folded in as the monster considered the King before him with narrowed eyes.

"How many of you are there?" The Goblin King asked, not flinching away from the acute stare of the slivered pupil.

Distracted by his own reflection in the dragon's eye, the Goblin King flinched in spite of himself as another dragon landed with a heavy thud behind him. They started to cling to his parapets with their hooked claws, looking much akin to giant lizards.

The Goblin King turned to keep both dragons in his sights, feeling cornered as the new, red dragon answered, "A score strong." One dragon alone would be a formidable foe with its near impenetrable, scaled hide and vicious breath attacks, and only a quarter of a score could level an entire kingdom. A full score was unthinkable.

The green dragon hissed, "Goblin King-" the being in question inwardly shuddered at his formal title used by such a dangerous foe.

But as the dragons swarmed, the Goblin King gave them no more time to threat or pose. He snapped his arms out, sending a ripple of energy in all directions. The dragons were buffeted by the force, but just before they could register the magic, their slitted eyes glazed over. The Goblin King concentrated his focus and flicked his wrists. A second ripple dropped the dragons. All the wyrms clinging to the battlements slackened and fell with a mighty rumble. The green and red dragons on either side of the Goblin King slumped, their long and heavy necks falling to slap violently against the stones at his feet. The Goblin King reveled in the rush of power from felling the beasts then a sharp pain exploded in his chest. A bright flash signaled the spell's completion.

He fell down onto his knees. The Goblin King gasped and clutched at his chest, "...Damn."

The monarchs appeared over the Goblin King, and then all disappeared.

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With Chapter One finished, the story can only progress. The next chapter enters with Sarah, so tell me your thoughts about this one, honest opinions. What I want to know most: your opinions on my spin of the Goblin King, and your opinions on the countless OCs, but especially the monarchs. Is there something else you want to know about that I can go in detail with in following chapters? Let me know!


	3. Chapter 2: A Champion and Her Charge

A big thanks to those that reviewed to tell me your opinions on this story. Your opinions have been taken into consideration for future chapters!

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Chapter 2

A Champion and Her Charge

A gossamer, golden light streamed in through the pale, lace curtains and cast itself over a sleeping form. When it fell over closed eyes, they fluttered open. A halo of dark brown hair fanned over the pillow and tumbled down onto pale shoulders. The young woman shot up, panting as she scanned the room in search of scythe-like claws and yellow eyes in the shadows. When she found no signs, her unease was quieted. She rubbed her sleepy face.

Her bed was tucked into a corner and surrounded in shelves upon shelves of books of every shape and size. One such book was spine-up, curled somewhere amongst the tangle of sheets about her legs: _The Hobbit_.

Sarah drooped, casting a sleepy glance around her small bedroom lit by two, small windows. Everything appeared normal: her closet on the far side of the room was closed, and there were no hand prints on her mirror; the windows were shut tight.

Sarah picked her way around the random piles on the beige carpet: more books, some sketch pads, clothes. When she reached her mirror, she stood a moment, staring at her tired eyes and mop of dark brown hair. She pulled the bedhead into a ponytail and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

Breakfast was Sarah setting a pot of eggs on the stove then making her way out to the mailbox. She returned to the house with somewhat of a stack. While she picked her way through the pile, the uneasy feeling returned, and she called Toby.

"What's up?" A voice on the other end asked, obviously Toby, and, by the tone, Sarah assumed he had also stayed up late the previous night.

"Parents out on their morning walk?" Sarah asked automatically as she sat down at the circular kitchen table.

"Yup," Toby confirmed.

"'Kay. Well, I just wanted to check in on you. ..." Sarah realized the abruptness of the call and twisted the subject, "You ready for Monday?"

"What's Monday?" Toby asked coyly.

"Toby!" Sarah exclaimed, "You didn't forget-"

"Sarah, chill, I'm joking. Yeah, I'm ready," Toby said, his smile clearly audible.

Sarah had made plans with her dad and stepmom to allow Toby to spend the summer with her while they went on vacation.

"Oh," Toby piped up, "Sarah, you check the mail lately?" Just as he said the words, Sarah came across a curious, hand-written envelope addressed 'Sarah Williams.' The calligraphy was odd, and there were no stamps of official seals to designate any company that she could recognize. She slid it to the side.

"Yeah, why?" Sarah asked.

"You told me to remind you to look for your application response, remember?"

"Oh." Sarah shook her head, defogging her mind with a swig of coffee. "That's right." She quickly glanced through the other letters. "Nothing here. Thanks, though. You sure you don't need anything else for Monday?"

"Nah. Dad and Mom got me pretty covered," Toby said.

"Ten-o-clock?" Sarah tested.

"Ten-o-clock," Toby confirmed, and they hung up.

Sarah sighed and continued to sift through the mail. No application response put a damper on her mood. Applying for theatre management meant Sarah had a considerable amount of downtime before the responses came in.

Sarah took another sip of coffee and turned back to the letter she set aside. The envelope was a stiff, purple parchment, and instead of it being sealed the traditional way, it was simply tucked inside itself. Anyone could have opened it.

Sarah looked again at the front: how her name was scrawled: sharp and fine-pointed. She suspected it to be a theatre invitation, perhaps a cleverly-folded flyer. If she was lucky, it would be her cleverly-disguised application response, and, if that was the case, the abnormal presentation was a good sign. Over-the-top-fancy usually said good things. But in place of a return address, it had the oddest insignia she'd ever seen: a sharp, five-petaled flower.

Sarah set her mug down on the table with a 'clink' and unfolded the letter. Her kitchen timer chose that moment to go off. Sarah forgot the letter and rushed to tend to her pot of boiled eggs on the stove.

When Sarah returned to the table, a somali had curled herself in the smattering of envelopes and languidly chose to ignore Sarah as she approached.

"Fionna," Sarah scolded, "What is a kitty doing on my letters?" The somali opened its pale yellow eyes and watched the woman pose with her hands on her hips. Sarah sighed and scooped the cat into her arms.

"Not a good time to open mail?" Sarah asked. Fionna batted the air and then Sarah's hand as it reached around to rub her belly. "Alright, alright," Sarah said, "You win."

Sarah turned to face the rest of the room in case Fionna decided to struggle from her arms. It was better to drop her on the carpet than back onto the mail table.

Alerted to a scuttling behind Sarah, Fionna jerked and promptly fell to the floor.

"Fionna?" Sarah called after the cat as she madly skittered towards her bedroom. "Fionna!"

When she reached her bedroom, a couple of the books were out of place, but Fionna merely paced around the door, her luxurious tail swishing the air behind her. This reminded Sarah of something, and she slid over to her mirror near the door.

Sarah tightened her ponytail and called, "Hoggle? Ludo? Sir Didymus? I need you." Then a foul odor worse than rotten eggs wafted through the air, causing Sarah to step back and cough.

"My lady, art thou in danger?" A tight, spry voice shouted directly to the right of Sarah. She jumped then laughed in spite of herself.

"Nothing of the sort," Sarah assured then grimaced. "Ugh! Still spending time in the bog, Sir Didymus?" She waved her hand through the air with a fist to her mouth.

"That would be me, Sarah," A guttural voice responded, "Sorry."

"Right," Sarah nodded then apologetically smiled, "I keep forgetting the Goblin King made you a Prince. Sorry about that, Hoggle."

Sarah turned and waved to Ludo standing beside her bed who good-naturedly waved back with a throaty groan.

"Come on, you guys," Sarah said, "Let's get you into a bigger room." Sir Didymus bounded into the livingroom past Hoggle who shuffed along, and lumbering Ludo followed after.

"But there is no danger, my lady?" Sir Didymus asked, flourishing his narrow, red sceptre. Sarah motioned her friends to head to the living room, but Sir Didymus followed her into the kitchen.

Sarah took a moment to answer his question, preoccupied as she gathered the pot off the stove, a hot pad, and a spare plate. "No, why?" Sarah asked, looking quizzically back at him then gliding into the livingroom herself. She flopped down into an armchair and encouraged her still-standing friends to do the same.

"Well, that's more than we can say!" Hoggle grumbled as he pushed himself up onto the couch.

Sarah sat forward, reaching one at a time into the pot to shell the boiled eggs. She asked, "Oh? Why?"

"Dra-gons," Ludo groaned.

"Dragons?" Sarah asked worriedly, "The big, winged lizards that fly and spit fire? Those dragons?" This wouldn't have been the first time she assumed too much.

"Yes, but we don't gots to worry 'bout them no more," Hoggle assured her, accepting an offered egg from Sarah.

"His Majesty doth vanquished them!" Sir Didymus proudly exclaimed.

"That's not what I saw," Hoggle said and shook his head, "Merely sent them somewhere else, he did- after sendin' 'em to sleep." He then popped the hard-boiled egg into his mouth.

Sarah sat back, staring at her friends: at Sir Didymus' yellow feather in his blue cap, at Hoggle in his leather cap and goblin vest, and Ludo with his curled, black horns and prominent, lower canines. Fionna leapt up at that moment and settled herself in Sarah's lap. Normally, she would cuddle up to Ludo, especially in the increasingly colder weather, but Sarah suspected the stench kept her away from that side of the room. Sarah wished Fionna would curl up on her feet, they were a bit cold.

"Oh, where'd he send them?" Sarah asked, the thought of dragons exciting her inner storybook child. Especially with them being so far away, she didn't have to worry about what the dragons could mean for her. She nibbled at an egg.

"We do not know, my lady," Sir Didymus said, "But were they still there, I'd rend their heads from their bodies and make them beg for mercy!" Sarah lowered her face into her empty hand and grinned.

_But dragons_, Sarah thought,_ How exciting_! Sarah mused over the idea a moment longer. She reached for another egg to shell.

The three companions exchanged glances. Well, mainly Hoggle and Sir Didymus as Ludo was contented with looking around Sarah's apartment. Sarah's eyes caught their shifty gaze and she asked, "What?"

"Pardon?" Sir Didymus said.

"What?" Hoggle said.

Sarah leaned forward and set the feline on the floor before her gaze drifted back to her friends. "Something wrong with the eggs?" Sarah asked, resting her elbows on her knees. They shook their heads, and to prove his point, Ludo took another off the plate and grinned.

Sarah tried again, "You aren't keeping something from me, are you?" Sarah stopped her shelling to fix her friends with a calm stare.

"I would do nothing of the sort, my lady!" Sir Didymus exclaimed, "I would die a thousand dishonorable deaths before I lied to you. And I'm sure my brothers-in-arms feel the same!"

Hoggle deliberately didn't meet Sarah's eyes. She knew he was a subject of the Goblin Kingdom and it's rules so, therefore, its gossip.

"Hoggle?" Sarah nudged.

"Nope! Nuh-uh, haven't heard nothin' 'bout no one who's beaten the Labyrinth, Sarah, and that includes you!" Hoggle defended himself.

Sarah's eyebrows raised, and she straightened in her chair. She ran her thumb over the smooth, dry, unshelled egg in her hands. "There've been others?" She asked.

"Dozens, my lady," Sir Didymus confirmed. "But none that have fit the legend as- ow!" Hoggle pulled his elbow out of Sir Didymus's ribs.

Sir Didymus leapt to his feet, and in a flash, his rapier was out and flourishing before Hoggle's face. He exclaimed, "DO YOU QUARREL, SIR?"

"Sir Didymus!" Sarah exclaimed, also jumping to her feet. "Put that away. You could hurt someone!"

Sir Didymus did as Sarah asked and crossed his legs on the floor opposite the coffee table from Hoggle with his paws on his knees. He quickly blurbed, "I doth simply say how, out of all the Champions, Sarah doth fit the legend best. There!" He huffed. "Thou dost have a mean elbow, friend Hoggle."

Sarah, still standing, turned back to Hoggle with her hands on her hips. "Legend?"

"It's just the book, Sarah, nothin' ya' didn't already know," Hoggle said, "I thought…" he then turned sheepish, "thought he was gonna' say somethin' else."

"Hoggle," Sarah whined, not comfortable arguing with her friends, "Just tell me."

"Su-mmons," Ludo groaned. His eyes spoke of the knowledge that he was keeping up with the conversation as they flicked between Sarah and Hoggle.

"Your rocks need to keep their mouths shut," Hoggle grumbled.

"Hoggle?" Sarah pleaded with a sweet lilt in her voice.

Hoggle groaned, "Oh, all right. But don't say I didn't try 'un stop ya." Hoggle twisted around on the couch and adjusted the brass crown on his leather cap before clearing his throat. "The Goblin King, under the advice of the Sprite Queen 'n other monarchs, is summonin' the remainin' Goblin Champions back to the Labyrinth."

Sarah balked, "He can't do that!" Hoggle shrugged, not meeting Sarah's gaze.

"But his Majesty is weakened," Sir Didymus revealed, "And cannot perform a proper summons." Sarah cast a quick glance to her kitchen table across the room, but the letter was nowhere in immediate sight. Fionna was once again curled on the stack, spreading it out further.

Sarah crossed her arms and fell back into the chair. Her eyes drifted to her friends. "But how?" She uncrossed her arms and gestured, "I remember him as this all-powerful, shape-changing king with an endless goblin army at his disposal. His crystals had near limitless powers by themselves and, besides that, he has unbelievable magics," Sarah leaned forward, "How can he suddenly be so… powerless?"

"Well," Hoggle said, "I never said he was powerless, Sarah, and with the other monarchs behind him, if there is another way to bring the Goblin Champions to the Labyrinth, he'll find it."

Sir Didymus glanced around uneasily. "I… cannot help but think, my lady, that we've overstayed our welcome," he said.

Sarah looked over to the fox-terrier and asked, a little hurt, "Is it something I said?"

"Not at all, my lady, but… we must be returning. With the kingdom in its weakened state, there is much to do."

"Oh," Sarah said and stood which prompted the others to, reluctantly, rise to their feet.

Sarah showed them out, but before they disappeared, Ludo said, "See... Sarah... soon."

The moment they disappeared, Sarah flew to her kitchen table. "Where is it? Where is it!" she shrieked. She dumped Fionna onto the floor and shifted through the notes and envelopes, but couldn't find the purple one.

Dumbfounded, Sarah stood over the table, staring. She turned and faced the open room, but her windows were all closed, and her doors were all locked.

* * *

Question for this chapter: What's your opinion on Sarah, her friends, and Fionna?


	4. Chapter 3: The King and the Champion

Chapter 3

The King and the Champion

The entire next week, Sarah searched for the letter. She scoured every room of her apartment, thinking perhaps that Fionna had carried it off, but it turned up nowhere. It bothered her more than many things had in the past couple of years. Then the day came for Sarah to pick up Toby.

Sarah rolled up to her old home: a white-washed Victorian with a circular window over the front porch. Her parents' car was gone, having left earlier that morning to catch a plane. Preteen Toby sat on the front steps. He wore simple jeans and Portal t-shirt. He didn't look when Sarah pulled up, but when she climbed out, he was holding an opened, purple letter in his hands with two small figures beside him. He leaned against the banister with one tennis shoe on the top step and the other shoe two steps down.

When Sarah started to approach, it was with a sudden and unexpected feeling of anxiety and trepidation as she recognized the figures with Toby on the porch: goblins.

Toby tilted his head up, and his blue eyes found her, filled with a deep searching. His fine, blonde, baby hair had darkened to thick, brown curls nearly the same shade as Sarah's. He had been so _excited_ over the phone not an hour ago. _What happened?_

Sarah stopped across from him. The goblins' small voices whispered to one another, "She's here! Is that her? Shut up!"

"Sarah?" Toby asked, "What's going on? I have this letter,and it's got your name on it," It was a heavy and confusing, but not unwarranted, question. Sarah's face softened into a pained expression. Her eyes fell on the letter, and a spark of anger shot through her. She lifted her eyes back to Toby, and the anger died.

"What do you want to know?" Sarah asked, edging closer to her brother.

_"Everything_," Toby said, and in that moment, something familiar flashed in her mind: "_Everything you wanted I have done…_" She could almost taste the coming storm.

"Remember those stories I read to you when you were little?" Sarah prompted. They were stories of the Labyrinth: of goblins and pixies and gnomes and old hags who lived in junkyards.

"I remember," Toby said with a slight nod.

"They're all true," Sarah stated, lifting her chin. Toby flinched in surprise as if hit with a bucket of ice water. He then stood and descended the steps, putting himself before her. She was still a head taller, but in a couple years, that was sure to change. There was a strength in his eyes that Sarah couldn't help but be proud of.

Toby then turned and indicated the goblins, "They tell me something awful's happened to the Labyrinth." He looked back at Sarah and said, "And that you must go back."

Sarah felt like she slipped into the edge of a whirlpool where the current was its weakest, and she had the urgent need to scramble out. She looked over Toby's shoulder and noticed the goblin count building. They were all standing and chattering to themselves.

"How much did they tell you?" Sarah asked Toby, sensing that he might be concealing his true opinions. She searched in hopes to find a release in the culling current.

"Not much more than I already knew," Toby admitted as he stepped back and looked to the numerous goblins watching them, waiting. "I used to have dreams, but I never thought they were real," Toby said. Sarah spotted a glimmer in his eyes: a memory, perhaps.

"Toby," Sarah chided, "This isn't a game- or a dream!"

"I know that," Toby replied stubbornly.

"I'm not sure you do," Sarah insisted.

"I do!" Toby stamped his foot and shot his sister a glare. "You have the chance to be a real hero. The dragons aren't just _their_ problem, but ours, too. They could destroy everything!"

"Have they shown you proof?" Sarah snapped back, "Any proof at all that they aren't simply tricking you through me? Luring you into a world you don't understand? That you're not going to be trapped there, never to leave again?"

Toby opened his mouth but closed it again and looked back at the goblins, searching for answers. "No," he said finally.

Sarah touched Toby's shoulder and turned him around to face her. She was smiling her generous, soft smile and said, "That's fine. I know where you're coming from, -I'm partially to blame- but before we can rush into anything as extra-ordinary as… 'saving the world' we need to get our facts straight, okay? Everything may not be as great as you think it is."

Toby pressed his lips together and nodded then brushed Sarah's hand off and surged forward, wrapping his arms around her. Sarah folded her baby brother in her arms and laid her forehead in his hair. She then released him and brushed his hair from his face with her fingertips. She met his eyes and whispered, "I've missed you, kid."

Sarah stepped around beside Toby and gave him a playful nudge. "Watch this."

Sarah straightened her back and lifted her chin, prepared to address the amassed goblins. She almost felt like she was back in the park, rehearsing plays. She locked eyes with each goblin in turn and announced, "Who's in charge?"

The goblins fell into a series of whispers, their spears clanking together over their heads. Eventually, one goblin emerged: a round-faced fellow with a wide chin and small eyes. His body was shaped like thick globs of melted candle wax. "I am," He replied.

"Good," Sarah said, "Now tell me: why are you here?"

"We are here for the champion!" The goblin declared, and the goblins behind him cheered.

"Why come _here_?" Sarah asked above the noise, throwing off her best Peter Pan akimbo stance. _Why give Toby her letter?_

A smaller goblin hissed, "We can'ts tell you." The other goblins nodded, especially the one in front.

"Why not?" Sarah challenged, taking a step forward. Some goblins backed off while others seemed peeved at her advance and clung tighter to their spears.

"King says so!" The front goblin replied.

"Oh?" Sarah said and thought over the implications before asking, "Then what_ can_ you tell me?"

The goblin in front looked behind him for an answer while Sarah and Toby exchanged glances.

Sensing this would get nowhere fast, Sarah cut them off, "I want to speak with your King." The goblins fell silent and looked up at her with the same emotions: stun and wariness. It was in Toby's eyes too.

"King's sick," the front goblin explained, "Can't bring 'em." A couple of goblins tapped on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear to which he quickly amended, "-But if you come to the castle, you can speak to the King!" The goblins mumbled excitedly and thought themselves clever.

"That won't do!" Sarah argued, growing impatient. She stomped her foot and ordered, "Bring him here!"

A wind grew in the otherwise still neighborhood, and the chimes on the porch clinked in the strange breeze. Sarah sucked in a breath as she and Toby looked around. Golden leaves tumbled across the yard, and some goblins bunched closer, but others pushed them away and puffed out their chests._ Wait, what have I done?_

"_So cruel… and always so hard to please. Oh, woe to any who must heed you call_," a voice spoke from the shadows of the porch. A figure suddenly stood in the far corner, barely discernible as the early afternoon sun slanted in and lit only upon the broad surface of his dark cape.

"Goblin King," Sarah whispered like a bad omen. She then spoke up against the figure in the shadows, "What kind of game are you playing, _Goblin King_?"

"No game," The Goblin King replied. There was a flourish of hands as he strolled closer to the entrance. "No tricks. You have my word."

"But isn't you just being here proof that you're trying to tricks us?" Sarah accused.

"I am here because you _asked,_ nothing more," the Goblin King said, "But if you insist on knowing, you don't have a choice. You must come."

Toby interjected, "No choice?" He came to stand beside Sarah and glared into the shadows with her, "What do you mean?"

"Hello, Jareth," The Goblin King said, "Taking after your sister, I see."

Toby shifted his glance between Sarah and the imposing stranger, unsure of how to take the greeting. He said, "My name's not Jareth."

"You can't make us go," Sarah interrupted.

The Goblin King paused; Sarah thought she heard heavy breathing, but then he repeated in his patronizing tone, "You don't have a choice, Sarah, the Labyrinth needs you. He, however," the Goblin King indicated Toby, "may have whatever choice he wants."

Sarah brought her eyebrows together then looked down to Toby and searched his eyes for a moment. His gaze reflected hers, then he opened his hands and whispered, "But, Sarah, why'd he call me Jareth?" Sarah rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze back to the Goblin King with suspicion.

The Goblin King stated, "The dragons are coming. Whether you like it or not. You will come, or your friends will perish in the flames." He slid himself behind the banister column as if, she noticed, he were leaning on it. She searched the darkness but couldn't find his face. She might have caught a glimpse of his flaxen hair, but it was gone in a blink, back into the shadows.

"And then-" The Goblin King started but his voice caught on something, "-then they will destroy our world. Every single fey will fall, and-" He halted again.

"Sarah, you didn't answer my question!" Toby insisted.

"Toby," Sarah scolded, "this is a little more important than that. Will you please focus?" Sarah was losing focus herself. She turned back to the Goblin King and asked, "How long do we have to make a decision?"

There was a pause and then an inhale. "Thirteen minutes," came the strained reply.

"Thirteen minutes?" Sarah asked incredulously.

"Sarah," Toby cut in. She turned to him impatiently. He stated, "You should do it, and I wanna come."

There was a hollow clatter on the porch, and Sarah snapped her head over to see. She was met with a vision of the Goblin King doubled over, the sun lit on feathery hair. Sarah twitched forward in response, but a gloved hand shot out, and the goblins leveled their spears at her.

"Don't come any closer!" The Goblin King hissed, panting. The sun lit on a high, pale cheekbone, above a tall collar, and through a curtain of blonde hair.

"Get those out of my sister's face!" Toby exclaimed and rushed forward only to have some spears divert and point at him.

"You. Must. Decide!" The Goblin King hissed, his hand having dipped back down to grip his chest then aiding him against the banister to pull him back to his feet.

Sarah stood, speechless and wide-eyed with her mouth slightly ajar. She searched around the porch steps then looked to Toby.

Sarah muttered, "You didn't even pack…"

"I _un_packed," Toby solemnly clarified.

Tension grew up Sarah's fists to where her shoulders squeezed together and her eyes shut tight. _No choice, but I must decide?_ She pressed her cool hands against her heated temples and swam through her thoughts. _Back to the Labyrinth? The fairies, the bog, the fieries, the goblins, Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus… _Dragons?

It was simply too much to take in. Sarah started to shake and whip her head about, searching for answers somewhere in the dry leaves around her. How could it be that he could simply return to her life at the drop of a hat, and how could she possibly be… excited? ...But also feel so defeated?

"It's not forever, is it?" Sarah asked, seeing that the Goblin King had found his way back to his feet.

"Not unless you wish it," The Goblin King replied. The words had a hidden meaning Sarah couldn't wrap her head around in the jumble, but in there, too, was a promise that she could return home… if she only wished it.

"Fine," Sarah said, "But Toby stays."

"What- no!" Toby exclaimed, turning on his sister.

"Toby," Sarah grew stern and shot her brother a hard look, "You're staying, and that's final."

"But I want to go!" Toby objected.

The Goblin King said, "If he wants to go-"

"No!" Sarah shouted, "You can't have him! This isn't your business!"

"I won't," The Goblin King said, "He is yours. You won him well enough the last time."

Toby spoke up, turning Sarah's attention back to him as he added, "And what about Mom and Dad? They think that I'm with you; they wouldn't want me here by myself."

Sarah looked back to the Goblin King and fixed him with a hard stare. "He won't be harmed?" she asked, "Won't have to do anything?" She couldn't believe what she was saying, but the words seemed to spill out. Everything was suddenly surreal and all too real at the same time.

"As long as he doesn't tear down my castle or turn my subjects against me…" The Goblin King seemed to shrug in the darkness, having regained his poise, "Or cause any other trouble."

Sarah paused. She hadn't wanted to leave Toby so soon, but she didn't want to take him into this unpredictable world of magic and monsters where nothing was as it seemed, and the way forward was sometimes the way back. Sarah looked to Toby with a sort of lost expression. Her mouth drew into a hard line, and she gave a small nod.

Toby turned to the Goblin King and told him, "We'll go!"

The wind picked up again as an arm raised from the half-light and pointed at the entrance to the William's house. "Through the door, then, love," The Goblin King said, and, in a puff of glittering air, he and the goblins vanished.

An odd emotion swept over Sarah that she couldn't place. She had been dragged to the center of the whirlpool and seemed to be drowning. She looked to Toby, but he was already moving. As if sensing her eyes, he looked back.

"Come on, Sarah!" he said with a smile and continued toward the door. To Sarah's surprise, the door wasn't locked as her father and Irene, or even Toby, she supposed, had left it.

"Come on, feet."

* * *

Sure, not the most heart-felt first J/S meeting you probably ever read; I mean, Toby was there, but if it hadn't been for him, Sarah might have never gone back _Underground_.

This marks the conclusion to _Part 1: The Set Up_. I ask for patience in revealing _Part 2: New Rules_ as it is underway.

Question for Part 1: With the 'set up' over with, is there anything you'd like to see in coming chapters?


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